Pashtuns and Hazaras

Pashtuns

The Pashtuns are an ethnic group who live in southern and eastern Afghanistan.
They make up about 50 percent of the population in Afghanistan.
For the last 300 years, Pashtuns have been the dominant group in Afghanistan, and by the 19th century, the Pashtuns had total control over the country.
Most of the Pashtuns in Afghanistan today are apart of the Sunni Muslims.
In their religion, they worship one God which is called Allah.
The Pashtuns follow the code of Pastunwali, it also know as the code of Pathanwali. This code has set up the standards for behavior in and out of public like justice or honoring women.
Although no one knows where the ancestors of the Pashtuns came from, they most likely came from Africa and moved to where the Pashtuns live where they are right now.
Historically, Pashtuns were pastoral nomads, and today they commonly work in agriculture, business and trade.

The Pashtuns are very religious.
They have their daily prayers and have an observance of fastings for the month of Ramazan.
In their religion, the have three holy men named Saints, Sayyids, and Mians.
Their holy shrines are very important to them.
They all visit their shrines daily.In order for them to enter their shrines, they have to walk in bare-foot.
Throughout Afghanistan, the shrines are the safest place to be in.
Most of the prayers that are offered in the shrine is for the birth of a male.
For the Sunni Muslims, their sacred days are Fridays. The Pashtuns have to visit the shrines on Thursdays and can't go on the Fridays.

Family is very important to a Pashtun.
In every Pashtun family, everyone lives together wether they are married or not.
Their Families are patriarchs
When the father is unable to take care of the family or dies, the oldest son takes over.
Only male births are valued.
Pashtun women never leave the house and the only thing that the women are in charge of is taking care of the domestics.
When it comes to getting married, the families are really close.
Most males marry women inside of their family. Women never have a say on who the marry.
All of the weddings are either on a Thursday or a Friday. There is usually a non-stop party that last 3 days before the weddings.
Pashtuns do practice polygmy, but it rarely happens. The only time that a male Pashtun has a second wife is when the first wife is pretty much useless to him or there is nothing in common between them.
Divorce is rare too, but there have been cases where there was a divorce.

past-times
- poetry, rug weavers, embroiderers, and calligraphers
- wrestling and baseball like games

13th century - estimated arrival in Afghanistan
Before 1893- 67% of the population
1893
- More than half massacred by king of Kabul and British power
- All economic and political power gone
- Dominated by the Pashtuns
- Enslaved, and forced to become Sunni
After 1893
- Afghan governments attempt to get rid of the name hazara by changing it to shi’ite
1930’s
- Afghan governments follow the ideas of Nazi ideologies
- Attempt Pashtun supremecy
1979
- Russian invasion
- betrayed by sunni allies
- 11,000 killed
After 1979
- Hazaras have been the most materially needy population in Afghanistan
- Living as farmers
- Avoiding pastoral life due to land mines.

Pashtun

Sunni Muslims
Pashtun Hamid Karzai is the current president of Afghanistan (4 failed assassination attempts)
Made up majority of the Taliban.
Speak Pasthun.
Popular sports include Cricket, soccer, Buzkashi, Squash, snooker/billiards
Still maintain a way of living under Pastunwali.

Hazara

In politics, Hazaras make up 25% of Afghanistan Parliament. Many governors are Hazaras (Sima Samar, Habiba Sarabi, Ramazan Bashardost)
In rural areas, their language is Hazaragi.
Still largely impoverished.
Roads and other land improvements were withheld from the Hazarajat region.
Pastoral lifestyles

After Abdul Malik Pahlawan, a powerful politician at the time, executed 3000 Taliban members/prisoners, The Taliban responded by killing approximately 8000 Hazara members of Mazar-e Sharif.